The Biology of Sleep
The biological clock
What is circadian rhythm?
A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks
What is narcolepsy?
A sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind
What is a dream?
A recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur
What is REM sleep?
The periodic, natural loss of consciousness
What is sleep?
The hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle
What is melatonin?
Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep
What is insomnia?
According to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream
What is latent content?
Relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
What are alpha waves?
The average amount of time for humans to complete a sleep cycle
What is 90 minutes?
A pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm
What is the suprachiasmatic nucleus?
A sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings
What is sleep apnea?
A dream theory that states that REM sleep triggers neural activity that evokes random visual memories, which our sleeping brain weaves into stories
What is neural activation theory?
The large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep
What are delta waves?
The stage of sleep where you are likely to experience hallucinations
What is NREM-1?
Gland that produces melatonin
What is the pineal gland?
A sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified that occurs during NREM-3 sleep
What are night terrors?
A dream theory that states that dreams provide a “psychic safety valve”, so you can express otherwise unacceptable feelings
What is Freud's wish-fulfillment theory?
Brain waves of an alert, awake state
What are beta waves?
The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation
What is REM rebound?
The age group whose performance improves as the day progresses
Who are teens and young adults?
A sleep disorder that can happen at any stage of sleep and is more common in children
What is sleeptalking?
A dream theory that states that REM sleep provides the brain with periodic stimulation, which may help to preserve and expand the brain’s neural pathways
What is physiological function theory?
The stage of sleep where sleep spindles occur
What is NREM-2?
According to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream
What is manifest content?